Editorial: Life in the efficient lane

Thursday, May 26, 2005 | 9:18 a.m.

The term "new urbanism" sounds like some dreamer's ideal for community life that will never actually intersect with reality. Yet this vision for a master-planned community where rich and poor are neighbors, where everyone has access to plenty of open space and where recreation, schools, shopping, employment, police and fire protection and other necessities are close by, has been taking shape over the past two decades in many communities around the country. Now it is coming to the Las Vegas Valley.

On Tuesday the Henderson City Council approved a development on 1,953 acres that will become the second-largest new urbanism community in the country, behind a 4,700-acre project in Denver. It will be built by South Edge LLC, which is a partnership of eight home builders, including KB Homes, which has the biggest share at 48 percent, and Focus Property Group, which will be the master developer.

What will spring from the City Council's approval is a community of 11,500 dwellings west of Sun City Anthem and south of the Henderson Executive Airport. Seven villages will be constructed, each with at least four neighborhoods. Homes will range from estates to carriage homes above garages. Many homes will eliminate the need for their owners to commute, as they will feature living space on the second floor and retail or office space on the ground floor. There will be no gated communities, but there will be plenty of open trails and bike paths, parks, athletic fields, village squares and courtyards. There will be police and fire stations. Four elementary schools, one middle school and a high school are also part of the master plan.

Most of the acreage is on land that developers spurned at a 2003 federal land sale because Henderson insisted that affordable housing must be a significant part of any project. We supported Henderson's requirement, but this new plan might be better because there will still be a significant number of affordable homes and they will be integrated throughout the whole development, creating a close sense of community. Future plans call for a 300-acre Town Center that will feature a mix of business, civic and residential buildings.

The idea is to make more efficient use of land by eliminating gates and walls and big backyards and replacing them with common areas that all residents can enjoy. Just as important is the idea of building a self-contained community, where many of the residents will be able to work either at their homes or just blocks away, cutting long commutes and the personal inconvenience, traffic, accidents and air pollution that go with them.

The concept appears right for Southern Nevada, where land values have soared over the past few years and traffic and air quality are major issues.